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' 2 Sheets-Sheefl 1. G. H. RICHMOND & J. GROWTHER.

(No Model.)

BICYCLE.

No. 600,450. Patented Mar. 8, 1898 z/enlbrs Cb dine s 5% mm gawk M Zea(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. H. RICHMOND & J. OROWTHER.

' BICYCLE.

No. 600,450. Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

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BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,450, dated March 8,1898. Application filed July 12,1897. Serial No. 644,317. (No model.)Patented in England July 7, 1896, No- 15,017.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE HENRY RICH- MOND and JOSEPH Onowrnnn,subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 5 Derby street, MossSide, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented newand useful Improvements in and Applicable to Bicycles and other WheeledVehicles, (for which we have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain,No. 15,017, dated July 7, 1896,) of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is the construction of apparatus whichshall enable greater speed to be developed with the same amount of poweras hitherto in the propulsion of bicycles and other wheeled vehicles.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are a sideelevation and a plan, respectively, showing the cranks and some otherparts, with a portion of a cycleframe, made according to our invention.Fig. 3 is an end view, partly in section, of the crank-shaft and onecrank-arm and pedal center on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 4 is asectional view taken on the line A B of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, a is the crank-shaft carried in the frame 1). Near eachend of this shaft is secured a disk 0, with a V groove or recess turnedin its periphery according to our invention and shown plainly in Figs. 3and 4:, and on the side faces of each disk is turned an annular grooveto receive antifric- Lion-balls (Z. The central portion 6 of each crankor arm 6 is recessed to fit over the disk 0 and is provided with a coverf, and each of those parts 6 and f'is grooved or otherwise prepared tofit over the antifriction-balls d. The cover f is secured to thecrank-box e by bolts g, and a number of friction gabs or catch-pieces hare fitted around the grooved disk 0 and pivoted some on the bolts 9 andothers on studs or pins 2', carried by the box part c and its cover f.Between each pair of catches is a light plate-springj, which exerts thepressure to hold the catches in the recess of the disk 0. There ismounted on the frame a small spindle k, with a small disk Z, secured ateach end, in line with the box portion 6 of the crank-arms e, and aflexible connection, such as a steel band or chain m, is secured to eachcrank-arm at one end and at the other end to one of the disks Z, asindicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The pedals in this arrangement of drivingreceive an up-and-down movement only in place of the usual rotarymotion, and when the riders feet are placed upon the pedals (not shown)and pressure is exerted upon the upper crank-ar1n (2 (see Fig. 1) andthis crank is depressed the catch-pieces it, being held against thesides of the groove in one of the disks 0 by the springs j, force roundthe disk and the crank-shaft until the crank-arm has been pressed downto the end of its stroke. Meanwhile the other crank-arm 6 will have beenraised to its highest position by the connecting-bands m, ready to bepressed down by the riders foot, and thus a continuous rotary motion inone direction is imparted to the crank-shaft. As each crank-arm e israised its connected catches 7L slip back along the groove in its disknoiselessly and without perceptible friction. Motion is taken from thecrank-shaft by a chain 01 and chain-wheel 0 or in any other convenientmanner to the wheels or one of the wheels of the cycle.

It will be obvious that although we have only described this apparatusas applicable to cycles it is equally applicable to other wheeledvehicles, and also that although only described as being driven by thefoot or body it may be driven by hand or steam or other power, or all incombination, and as many of these apparatus as is necessary may beapplied to one bicycle or other wheeled vehicle.

One of the great advantages of this arrangement is that in hill-climbingand on rough roads a short stroke on the pedals enables the cycle to bepropelled without the fatigue of a full stroke, which is necessary inrotary pedal-levers, and it will be understood that upon descendinghills the feet may remain at rest upon the pedals and that the pedalsmay at all times be kept out of the way of obstructions by being allowedto remain at rest in their central positions.

Having now particularly described and asoertained the nature of our saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declarethat what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, 1s-

The propelling mechanism for bicycles herein described comprising, incombination with the crank-shaft, cranks journaled thereon havingannular housings encircling and concentric with said shaft, an annulargroove formed on the inner face of each of said housings, a disk locatedwithin each housing and secured to said shaft and having a groovedperiphery, an annular groove formed on each face of the said disks; aseries of spring controlled friction pawls pivotally supported aroundthe interior of said housings and adapted to engage in the groovedperipheries of said disks, covers for said housings having annulargrooves on their inner our hands in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

GEORGE HENRY RICHMOND. JOSEPH CROWTHER. Witnesses:

S. W. GILLETT, HERBERT R. ABBEY.

